Christian Muters

                This past Monday evening the students of the Honors Program read and discussed further authors from the Reformation period (1500-1800). One of the authors was named George Herbert who was a priest in a small church and he remained in that position even though he could have gone far in the Church of England. In Callings he had two different writings that both complimented and conflicted with each other. One writing was named The Temple, or The Country Parson and spoke of the pastor's life. The second writing was called The Collar and it is a poem concerning his calling as a pastor.

                The first writing The Temple, or The Country Parson speaks plainly and rationally about the calling to be a pastor. It states how it is important for the pastor to put his whole life into the calling so that he can be a good example for his congregation. Herbert also speaks of the parsonage where the pastor lives and how it should be in the country so that the pastor is not as easily distracted by the things of this world, much like the monks and nuns lived in the country to set themselves apart from society. Herbert's second writing is much different in that it is not a formal declaration of what it is to be a pastor but rather a poem that holds metaphor and multiple meanings. The Collar is much shorter than the previous writing but due to its ability to hold multiple meanings it can have just as much to say about being a pastor as The Temple, or The Country Parson.

                I enjoyed both of these readings together especially since at first they are completely and utterly different. On the surface, one is straightforward and tells exactly how a pastor should live and be an example for his congregation and that being a pastor is one of the noblest callings that one can have. However, the other is full of metaphor and multiple meanings and seems to indicate a disliking for the calling of being a pastor. When I looked closer at these I noticed that these are more similar than I first thought. Both of these writings indicate a love for God and for helping other people in their spiritual lives while also realizing that one's own spiritual life needs continuous work as well. George Herbert seems to believe that the calling to be a pastor is an important one and that the pastor will have hardships even if the calling is from God.

At Concordia University Saint Paul the theater department hosts a student-run play and this year the play was Arcadia. Arcadia is a play that centers around a single table within a house except it is in two different time periods. One time period is 1809 and the other is in the present time. In both time periods there are intellectuals and students and they all have interactions based on their own lives, the interactions between each other, and on their discoveries.

Now comes the meaning of the play: sex and literature or possibly literature and sex. Either way, both are present and accounted for and hold a large portion of what fuels the plot. In the beginning of the play the scene opens up with a tutor and his student. The tutor, Septimus, is reading a rather large book and the student, Thomasina is writing in a notebook. This seems innocent enough until Thomasina looks up and asks, "Septimus. What is carnal embrace?" From there the audience soon realizes that the literature, while important, starts to take a backseat to the sex and other interactions that the different characters have with each other. Perhaps this means that a revision of the meaning is needed. Perhaps it should be relationships and literature because there are more to the relationships in the play than just sex.

As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the play. I actually saw it three times and each time I caught other things that I had not seen the previous times. It is a very complicated and complex play because each scene switches back and forth between 1809 and the present time period. This means that the audience members have to shift their thinking to which part of the story is which and the audience must also remember every detail in order to understand the whole play. In the present day the scholars are researching the period of 1809 and the audience is able to see the events as they actually happen in 1809. I would recommend this play to most people because it is an endearing play that allows the audience to think about the shift from thinking to feeling, from literature to relationships. I say most people because this play does contain some course language but despite that it is a good play that may be one of the most thought-provoking plays from the 1990s. 

                In the third part of Callings the Honors class has been reading about the Reformation and the writers thereof. One particular writer was named William Perkins who wrote A Treatise of the Vocations. In this writing, Perkins lists some general rules in regards to callings and vocations. William Perkins used his knowledge that he learned as a student and a teacher at Cambridge University to think his way through what he believed to be the rules and regulations of vocations.

                Perkins begins by describing what a vocation or a calling is. He says that a vocation or a calling is a certain kind of life that is given to a person by God for the common good. He continues on with the first rule where he states that every person no matter who he or she might be has a calling. The second rule that Perkins states is that the person within a particular calling must ascertain whether they are in their proper calling. The third rule that Perkins wrote was to have every calling be performed within the Christian context. The fourth rule is that every person must reform themselves in private so that they are prepared for their vocation. The fifth rule is that every calling must uphold the Christian Church, the common good, or family. All of these rules are written by William Perkins to help the people to understand what can be done to further their callings.

                Rules are everywhere. There are rules in the constitution, rules regarding taxes, rules of the road, and even rules on how to cook ramen. William Perkins thought about it and decided that it was a good idea to put rules to what it means to have a vocation or a calling. This is not something that people should really do. People have tried to place rules and limitations on their own lives ever since Biblical times. Overall, it is better to see these as guidelines than actual rules. Otherwise, if someone does not follow the rules as Perkins has them laid out then it can lead to further issues than not following the rules. Vocation is something that is supposed to be hard to figure out. That way, once someone knows that they are performing their calling they can obtain a greater satisfaction out of it.

                The Honors class read a portion of Callings for Monday February 20, 2012 that had articles from the Medieval Period. One particular article held a story that pertained to the people of today. This article is called Chronicle of the Crusade of St. Louis written by John de Joinville. Louis IX lived from 1214-1270 and was the king of France. King Louis IX was considered a saint post mortem due to the life that he lived. This article is a short biography written by John de Joinville of the saint-like actions that King Louis IX took that gained him the title of Saint.

                King Louis IX was not always saint-like. However, after a visit from a Franciscan friar, King Louis IX changed everything. He would attend mass multiple times a day, even waking up in the middle of the night to perform the Office for the Dead which is a special prayer within the Roman Catholic Church. One other thing that set King Louis IX apart was that "he lived with such a disregard for worldly vanities" that almost everything that the king owned was plain, including the food that he ate and the clothes that he wore (Placher 141). Furthermore, the food, money, and clothing that the king did not use, he would give to the poor so that they would not go hungry or cold.

                While he was still a king, Louis IX was still a good man that people can learn from. He took what he had, which happened to be the treasury of France, and gave what he could to the poor while still doing his job as a king. These days, there are not many people that have a king's bank account, but there are people that have the means to help others while still living a comfortable life. The lesson to be learned from King Louis IX is that every person should try their best to help others even if it is as simple as sharing a meal with someone who needs it. This may seem difficult to do, especially if someone is used to a particular way of life, but each person has the capacity to help someone. Hopefully, everyone is able to understand that and by everyone helping everyone else, the world will slowly start to be a better place to live.

                On the evening of Wednesday February 15, 2012 the Honors class was able to partake in a dinner with Jobe Cerny. At the dinner the students were able to listen to a short autobiography of Jobe Cerny and how Jobe came to become a director for the audio Bible. The dinner did not last very long at all because Jobe had to catch a flight leaving for Chicago, but the short time that he was there was invaluable for the Honors students.

                Jobe spoke first of his choice to be an actor because it incorporated many of the things that Jobe enjoyed. Being an actor means that he can be a part of theater, write, and bring joy and laughter to people. He also spoke of his excitement for life in general. He said that there were days that he was so excited to do something that he just could not wait to get up. He told the students how he would only get at most six hours of sleep and the rest of the time he was working, whether that was working on his writing, or working on directing, or working on acting. There are many projects that Jobe works on at one time and they keep him busy. Jobe told the students that they should choose to do something with their lives that they love to do, otherwise they will not enjoy life to the fullest.

                Jobe did not speak much about how faith is incorporated into his life other than going to church and doing projects like the audio Bible. Despite this, Jobe had good things to say that the students should learn if they want to succeed in life. The most important lesson was already stated but it is important enough to say again: Someone should do whatever makes him or her happy and everything else will seem to fall into place. Another lesson that he told the students was to set goals. By setting goals, one is always striving to be better so that no one becomes stagnant. Jobe had a lot to say and it was unfortunate that he could not stay longer. However, what Jobe was able to talk about showed the Honors class that no matter who it is, as long as he or she does what makes him or her happy, then he or she will live a successful life.

                On Wednesday February 15, 2012, Concordia University Saint Paul had the privilege of hosting a convocation with Jobe Cerny. Jobe is most commonly known as the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy, but that is not all that he does. He is a writer and an actor but most importantly, Jobe Cerny is a Christian. One day, Jobe was approached with a project to create an audio Bible using different actors for different voices and narrations. Jobe directed the project but he could not have finished the project without a great support from the actors, studios, producers, and other people too numerous to mention.

                The approach that was taken on this audio Bible was different from other because there is so much more to it than just reading the Bible into a microphone. The actors had to read biographies about the characters that they "played" and they really focused on using the same sort of voice tone and inflection that the person actually would when the events took place. Along with the large number of actors and actresses involved, Jobe decided to include a full orchestra to provide music to fit the mood of what was being read. When the project was done, there were over 70 CDs total that encompasses the whole Bible, all with phenomenal voice acting and music.

                This project is a large undertaking for anyone. Whoever was chosen to be a part of this project incorporated their faith along with their job and that can be a hard task to accomplish, especially for actors and actresses who work next to people that do not believe the same things that they do. However, everyone has to interact with people that are not of the same faith. No matter what, Jobe was still able to direct a project that incorporated faith and his career. Hopefully, this project will allow others to learn more about the Bible and in the process be able to incorporate their faith into every aspect of their own lives.

On Tuesday February 7, 2012, the people of Minnesota had the opportunity to attend the political caucuses of the various political parties. Among these Minnesota residents, there were a handful of Honors students that attended the political caucuses. Three students went to the Green Party Caucus including myself. According to the Green Party website, www.gp.org, the Green Party of the United States is a "federation of state Green Parties that is committed to ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy and non-violence, and renewing democracy in the United States through community-based organizing without the support of corporate donors" In other words, they are focused on equality and fairness in all things democratic with an emphasis on non-violence and ecological wisdom.

                The Caucus started off with an introduction to the evening as well as an introduction to what the Green Party is about. After that, they talked briefly about some of the different things that have been going on within the Green Party. Then they went on to the resolutions. The resolutions are basically statements made by the people that tell the rest of the party what they would like the Green Party to focus on lobbying for. The resolution process took the longest amount of time, which took about an hour. After the resolutions there was a short round of voting for the Presidential Candidates for the Green Party. They voted by passing out slips of paper that people could write their votes on. Once all the votes were collected, they had a conclusion even though a lot of the people had left after voting.

                These caucuses are an important part of the democratic system. This is where the average American is able to voice his or her concerns regarding every day concerns. This also allows people to view first-hand what each party is like so that they know which party they would like to be a part of. For example, I know now that there are some things that the Green Party is focused on that I do not care about as much and I also know that there are some things that I do care about that they have talked about. I recommend that every American goes to a political caucus at least once so that they know some of the democratic process that goes into the election of the American President. Then, if the person so desires, he or she may continue to attend the caucus that they attended, or they can try to find another caucus to attend. Personally, the political caucuses bored me but I know that they are important and I am glad that I was able to attend at least one caucus so that I know what that part of the democratic process is like.

One of the books that was assigned this semester is Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation edited by William C. Placher. This book is a culmination of writings from as early as the times of the New Testament to present day. These writings are all trying to answer one question: What is one's calling in life and what does it mean to be "called" by God? This particular assignment involved the reading from the early church, which included Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, Palladius, Sayings of the Desert Fathers, and Augustine. Together, these excerpts tell the story of how Christians adjusted from a life of persecution to a life where Christianity was the norm.

The selection written by Athanasius who lived from 296 - 373 explains how he was exiled because of his defense of the Trinity. Athanasius was exiled by Christians who did not hold his view. Gregory of Nyssa grew up in a family of Christians which all seem to have left their mark on the Christian world. The text that is in Callings explains Gregory's life with his family and what a normal Christian family might look like. This would indicate that Gregory lived in a time when Christianity was starting to become more accepted. Palladius, who lived from 365 - 425, wrote The Lausiac History. Throughout his writing, Palladius lists all of the monks and other Christians that he met while wandering the desert and how all of them felt that they needed to ostracize themselves to be better Christians. This indicates that this is a time when Christianity is very widespread. Sayings of the Desert Fathers is a collection of writings from the fourth and fifth centuries and contain what monastic life was like in those centuries. The last writing from the period of the early church is an excerpt from Augustine's Confessions. Confessions explicates Augustine's sins and how his faith has saved him from those sins eventually leading him to a life as a Christian.

All of these writings are there to show the story of how Christians were able to adjust from being ostracized to living life out in the open as a Christian. These writings do just that. As time goes on, acceptance of the Christian faith and Christians in general is not only normal but is expected. By Augustine's writing, Confessions, Augustine was able to write his autobiography listing his sins before his conversion to Christianity without any visible repercussions. The only fault to these writings is that it does not answer what it means to be called by God in the present day. However, this is only the first part of the book and with four parts, that question is sure to be answered to some degree.

SALT as an organization that is trying to teach literacy the Somali Immigrants within Minnesota. The majority of the volunteers are used as a one-on-one person with the students to help make sure that they are getting on and staying on the right track for the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of the English language. However, my job is to figure out how to use other technologies to help teach English to the students which includes laptop computers that have been donated. To use the laptops to their fullest potential, they should have games that promote literacy as well as a program that helps teach the students how to type on a keyboard. 

The purpose of this project is to obtain a better understanding of the language barriers that immigrants face every day. The time spent with Somali Adult Literacy Training (SALT) will help in the acquisition of the experiences to teach what is involved in the language barriers of a Somali immigrant. Being around and teaching these students will help in learning about who the Somali people are. This will help to aid the teaching of these immigrants so that they are able to interact with society on a basic level which was difficult, if not impossible, for them when they first immigrated to the United States of America. The overall goal is to help these people to survive and thrive in an English-literate environment.

I will hopefully be able to learn many things through the course of my service with SALT such as Somali culture, Somali history, and Somali language. I hope to also learn how a non-profit organization functions as well as what they do to get the materials needed without spending too much. I may also possibly learn some rules regarding software, how to design a website, how to interact better with people that have a language barrier, and how the layout of workbooks function. I am excited to begin my work with SALT and the many learning opportunities that will be available to me.

Anna Fink is an Honors student within the Gamma class. She is an art student that held an art exhibit on campus this past Thursday night. She based her works off the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Each piece told of a different chapter of the story and spanned over the course of Orpheus' ordeal. The first piece was called "The Meeting: young love" and consisted of feathers hanging from the ceiling and a stringed instrument that had a speaker inside playing music. The second piece was called "The Wedding: short lived bliss" and consisted of a husband's suit the wife's bridal gown. The gown had a train that had feathers sewn in and the suit had a shirt with ruffles on them. The third piece was called "The Death: an unfair taking and consisted of three different pieces put together. The first one that was noticed was a black thing on the floor that looked like a slug or a worm. Then above that on a wall was a white arm coming out of a wooden plaque and the arm seemed to be made of plaster. The third part of "The Death" was the largest piece there and was almost opposite of the white arm. It started off with a large picture that will get be explained later. Behind the frame that held the saying, there was a black cloth that extended to the ceiling and led all the way to the arm with strands of black and grey cloth hanging from the ceiling. Then at the end of the cloth there was a face that was extended towards the arm. The fourth piece was called "The Journey: a grim forest" and consisted of a couple of different pieces as well. One piece was just a hexagonal log (fake of course) with colored glass beads over the bark. The second piece was a similar log but this had a light inside that was shining through a cutout of trees that projected a shadow of a forest on the wall behind it. The fifth piece was called "The Plea: A powerful song" consisted of the large picture on the wall that held a saying from Orpheus explain how he will travel to the ends of the underworld and back to be with Eurydice. The sixth piece was called "The Following: don't look back" and consisted of a projection of a video made of still shots of Anna drawing feet walking. The seventh and final piece was called "The Despair: death of a musician" and consisted of the same type of instrument from the first piece but with all of the strings broken and lying in a dark cloth.

                All of these pieces seem to explain the story of Orpheus, especially to those that do not know the story very well. "The Meeting" shows just how innocently and wonderfully Orpheus and Eurydice meet and fall in love with the way that the music is playing and the feathers hang around the instrument. "The Wedding" continues the story by showing a beautiful dress and a handsome suit that any couple would dream of being married in. However, having "The Death" right next to it shows how short-lived their newfound bliss was and the vastness of the piece compared to the others shows just how awful the experience must have been. Then "The Journey" shows how the forest itself must have been beautiful but the journey itself was very dark and grim. "The Plea" showed Orpheus' conviction to be near Eurydice no matter what the cost is. "The Following" presumable shows the journey back to the living world but in the end "The Despair" shows that Orpheus dies and is no longer united with his love.

                I thoroughly enjoyed these pieces and the story they told. I wish that I knew the story of Orpheus and Eurydice better so that I could follow the story they tell even better, but as it stands now it is still a beautiful exhibit. Anna did a really nice job putting everything together. In fact, it did not look like it was from a college student but actually looks like it was from a professional. I only spent about fifteen minutes in there but I wish I could have spent more time. Unfortunately, there were many people so I could not stay long without fear of being overcrowded. So I was only able to see the pieces for a limited amount of time but they were enjoyable nonetheless.